The Aspiring Shadow (Daella Apparine)

[Soeht]

Without so much as a second, Daella replied to @[member="Vulpesen"], “You will stay with me. We are to mediate a parlay between refugees from the Frontline Worlds and the owner of the neighborhood they squat on.”

The shuttle then dove into a low part of Coruscant. In this section, many of the less wealthy residents in the area resided. Many did not have the ability to rent an apartment, nor did they have skills useful in a trade.

“I won’t forbid you to speak,” informed Daella, “Yet I ask that you consider your words before doing so. So long as there is peace, this is the standard duty of the Jedi.”

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen nodded at his masters words. He might have been conflicted of their earlier conversation, but as the son of a merchant, he was able to see her points. He'd been taught the same thing for economical negotiations. How bad could diplomatic negotiations be.

Vulpesen looked out the window to the lower levels. He'd been in places where difficulties were common, but being locked up the jedi temple for so long left him somewhat weak to this sight. He'd heard stories of life in the lower levels and he now felt sick that the upper levels were so rich and wonderful while the lower ones were stuck in poverty.

"Is it the normal neighborhoods want the refugees out but the refugees can't leave argument?" If he was to be watching and possibly acting in this, he would prefer to have an idea what he was doing. He enjoyed improvisation, but not at times like this. Now he figured that he might want to know as many details as possible. @[member="Daella Apparine"]

 

[Soeht]

"Coruscant is unique," began Daella as she too looked out the window. The shuttle approached an area with an airwalk and prepared to land.

"The refugees are in the hundreds of thousands at the least," she continued, "Millions at the most. The neighborhood is under new management, most likely because of the refugees. Oktoh Faya, the new owner, wishes to revamp much of the block to increase its revenue. Removing the refugees is one way of doing so."

Turning back to @[member="Vulpesen"], Daella concluded with, "The only way to remove the refugees is to use force or by giving them a convenient reason to move. Use of force will cause bloodshed. An agreement between the refugees and the owner could prompt most squatters to leave."

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen listened intently to his master's words, using every ounce of information as he worked on finding possible solutions. "Are we thinking off-world, and if we are, what planet. And if not, what area? That is, if we have any ideas as to where to move them." He wondered for a few more minutes. Amar was little known and thus never had problems such as these, making familiarity with the lays and intricacies difficult for the padawan to understand. "Are there any laws against moving them or them being there?" The list of questions came out all at once as Vulpesen worked his mind to get a handle on the situation.

As they began to descend, Vulpesen prepared his gear and what few items he had on him. He had a feeling that his first mission with a master might be interesting as it seemed to be politics without qualified politicians. @[member="Daella Apparine"]

 

[Soeht]

“The law is in the landlord’s favor,” claimed Daella.

Then, the shuttle landed outside of a skyscraper on a landing platform. The ship opened and Daella stepped out. A short male Duro stood at the entrance to the building waiting for the Jedi.

Turning to @[member="Vulpesen"], Daella said, “Whether it’s to move them off world or somewhere else, the Jedi’s goal is explicit: help these two parties reach a peaceful agreement.”

Having said that, Daella turned back to the building and walked to the Duro.

“Welcome,” he exclaimed, “Please follow me, Master Jedis!”

After a short bow to the Duro as a greeting, Daella followed him into the building. The halls had lavish decorations. They would have traveled up a repulsorlift - beyond where the penthouses would have been and onto a private floor meant for business meetings. Once the lift stopped, Daella continued to follow the Duro into a conference room.

Once in this room, a group of people would have been seen around a rectangular table. In the center was some fine wine that old money enjoyed. To the right of the table sat Oktoh Faya - a fat excuse of a human with rings strangling his fingers. He had a greasy gray mustache and balding head. To the left of the table sat eight different beings. The farthest from Daella was a green skinned Duro female. To her right sat a Devaronian male with a broken horn. To his right sat a pale skilled Twi’lek male. Next sat a human male with brown hair and a human female with black hair. To the right of them sat Rodian male. Finally, an Aqualish male sat nearest to Daella.

Each of the people sitting on the left side of the table appeared to have destitute clothing and appearances. They obviously lived in poverty and would have been the refugees Oktoh sought to remove.

Oktoh noticed the new guests. He turned his chair toward them and yelled, “Welcome, welcome! I’m so glad the Jedi could send some sensible people to help me deal with these refugees. Please, have a seat!”

Before Daella and Vulpesen were two seats. Daella took the one to the right. She stoically turned to Vulpesen, as if to gauge his opinion on the matter.

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen glanced around the room, taking in the view of the sorry lot and the human who seemed to be enjoying his wealth. The law was in the land lord's favor, his standing with the padawan, was not. Still, Vulpesen was raised to strike deals and one of the first rules he'd been taught as a trader was to never let your dislike show. It was a very easy way to get a price raised. As such, Vulpesen kept his expression passive, with only a single twitch in the eye to show his displeasure, something the landlord was highly unlikely to see. Vulpesen took a seat next to his master and put himself in a straight backed position, another product of his mercantile training.

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen glanced around the room, taking in the view of the sorry lot and the human who seemed to be enjoying his wealth. The law was in the land lord's favor, his standing with the padawan, was not. Still, Vulpesen was raised to strike deals and one of the first rules he'd been taught as a trader was to never let your dislike show. It was a very easy way to get a price raised. As such, Vulpesen kept his expression passive, with only a single twitch in the eye to show his displeasure, something the landlord was highly unlikely to see. Vulpesen took a seat next to his master and put himself in a straight backed position, another product of his mercantile training.

 

[Soeht]

After looking at @[member="Vulpesen"]'s initial response to the situation, Daella turned her attention to the two parties. She motioned her hand forward with the palm up as a gesture.

"How can I help?" she asked with an almost flat voice.

Almost immediately, Oktoh blurted out, "I just bought this property and had no idea thousands of refugees lived on it! They refuse to leave my property no matter what I say."

The Twi'lek male then butted in by saying, "Master Jedi, we have no where to go. Our homes were devastated by the war and all that's left is a wasteland. We've asked for the means to move somewhere, even if it is small, from this man."

"There's no way I can pay for all of you," exclaimed Oktoh.

Once again, Daella turned to Vulpesen, as if expecting a response to their initial words.

 

[Vulpesen]

Now Vulpesen was beginning to get a grasp on the situation. He would think that something like this would be mentioned during a sale, but then again, it could be bad for business. "And exactly how many refugees are dealing with?" His voice was even as he cast a neutral glance at Oktoh. A plan was starting to form and he figured that it might just work if he could get the details correct in his mind. @[member="Daella Apparine"]

 

[Soeht]

“I hardly know,” snorted Oktoh, “There are at least tens of thousands, maybe hundreds!”

Then, Daella asked, “What is your intention with the property you’ve bought?”

Without pause, Oktoh explained, “A shopping and civic center, more or less. Something to make money and look good. As I said, this deal didn’t include thousands of refugees.”

Again, Daella glanced at @Vulpessen to see his answer.

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen grinned. It had become too easy. "Then why would you kick these people out? As far as I'm concerned they seem to need a little extra credits. Offer them jobs, and those that you can't keep or those that dont need the money could be bought a ticket off world by the proceeds you gain from the new work force. It'll get your bussinesses up quckly, and it should give these people a reason to help you instead of simply sapping rescources." He turned to the representatives. "No offense intended of course. But, should you agree, then I beleive that Mr. Oktoh is not the only one who would benefit." The plan certainly had its merits, and though there was a chance for disagreements, Vulpesen found it higly unlikely for this to be rejected. At msot, he beleived that these pople would simply need to hash out a few details. @[member="Daella Apparine"]

 

[Soeht]

Most of the refugee representatives nodded in agreement to @[member="Vulpesen"]'s words. Daella turned back to Oktoh. The greasy landlord wasted no second before replying with, "No."

With exaggerated gestures of his hand, Oktoh then explained, "I don't know how many of them are down there! I've heard terrible stories of stealing and murder. Why would I hire such people? Plus, I planned to use droids for the mindless labor and hire actual professionals for trades. I have no use for these people."

"I would rather give all my riches before hiring them." declared Oktoh.

Daella continued to remain silent. She looked out of the corner of her eye toward Vulpesen once more to see if he would speak.

(Feel free to continue posting in this thread. After seeing your high activity and go-getting attitude, I will be knighting Vulpesen. If you do not want to be knighted, that's fine too and Vulpesen can stay a Padawan)

 

[Vulpesen]

(Thank you. I would love to be knighted, though I may need a bit more teaching as my skills in the force might need more tuning. Battle experience does wonders, but it's not the best for learning things for the first time.)

Vulpesen raised an eye-brow at Oktoh's remarks. He understood his reasons, but his crude manner was testing his patience. "Then forgive me for being so bold but, I must say, you are a fool when it comes to being a merchant. I was born on the planet Amar, a place of merchants and trading. I can assure you that a droid will make mistakes as its programming will cause it to be unable to think outside of the box. People can learn and problem solve during the unexpected. As for your murder and thefts, such things would drop instantly after hiring. Moreover, professionals desire assistants, and a droid makes poor use for customer relations. Using actual people will bring in more customer's as they enjoy a friendly face, not an iron one. You have my word, not as a jedi, but as a trader that rejecting such an easy resource of workers would be a fools decision." @[member="Daella Apparine"]

 

[Soeht]

Daella did not give much reaction to Vulpesen’s words. Yet, Oktoh clearly tensed up. He clenched his jaw and furrowed his brows. He leaped up from his chair.

A word formed on his lips. It seemed as if he would begin a long rant - much longer than the one Vulpesen formed.

Yet, Daella intervene. She leaned forward and brought her right hand up.

“I’m sorry, Oktoh Faya,” she began, then with a twist of her hand she said, “Please calm down.”

Without resistance, Oktoh then slowly sat down.

Continuing, Daella twisted her hand once again as she said, “I suggest an audit of the refugees on your property. Remove those that commit felonies and find a way to use the rest for your plan.”

The closest refugee’s eyes widened as Daella talked. He did not say a word, though.

Immediately, Oktoh began to lay out plans to the refugee representatives about clearing out the undesirables - which the refugees agreed to help with. The meeting proceeded not with a clear ending to the problem of the squatters, yet it showed more progress than before. Daella did not need to say another word after that.

Once the meeting at been dismissed, Daella remained in the room as Oktoh and the refugees exited on their own. The Duro that greeted the Jedi remained quietly by the door as he waited for them.

“Do not argue when it’s clear the other party won’t listen,” Daella stated to @[member="Vulpesen"], “In the future, there will be far more venomous people you must talk to. You will find only frustration in reasoning with them.”

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen nodded to his master's words. He'd faced a few of such venomous characters, and he'd learned the hard way that the tactic he'd just used was a dangerous one. To some people it pushed their mind over the edge to a place where they were in a grey area to be manipulated (it seemed to have worked this time as his master had managed to get him to accept with only a minor alteration), and other times the grey area was a bit more violent, causing Vulpesen to end up running away as fast as he could.

"On the bright side, things should get better for those refugees. Should the plan work well enough, it may do a great job of changing Oktoh's views." Despite his annoyance, Vulpesen realized that Oktoh as merely a man after a profit. He'd dealt with that kind before and such merchants tended to cheer up once the money started flowing. @[member="Daella Apparine"]